"Little in life is perfectly black and white. Recognizing faults in your subject should add to his or her humanity which, in the end, should be the focus of biography. Hero worship and hagiography should be reserved for myths and fairy tales." - Don Brown
Don's
Work
Don's
BackgroundAwards
Lesson
PlansReviews
of Don Brown's Books
Don's
Work
Ruth Law Thrills A Nation (1993)
Alice Ramsey's Grand Adventure (1997)
One Giant Leap: The Story of Neil Armstrong (1998)
Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries (1999)
Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa (2000)
A Voice from the Wilderness: The Story of Anna Howard Shaw (2001)
Across A Dark And Wild Sea (2002)
Far Beyond the Garden Gate: Alexandra David-Neel's Journey to Lhasa (2002)
American Boy: The Adventures of Mark Twain (2003)
Mack Made Movies (2003)
Our Time on the River (2003)
Awards
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Reading Rainbow Book: Ruth Law Thrills A Nation | |
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NCSS-CBC Notable Children's Trade Book in the Field of Social Studies: Ruth Law Thrills A Nation and Rare Treasure: Mary Anning and Her Remarkable Discoveries | |
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1993 Parents Prize (Parents Magazine): Ruth Law Thrills A Nation | |
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A Book Links "A Few Good Books" Selection: Ruth Law Thrills A Nation | |
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Parent's Choice Gold Award: One Giant Leap: The Story of Neil Armstrong | |
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ALA Notable Book: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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Riverbank Review Book of Distinction: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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New York Public Library Title for Reading and Sharing: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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Horn Book Fanfare: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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Bulletin Blue Ribbon: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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Parent's Choice Silver Honor: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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American Library Association Notable Book: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa | |
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Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Honor Book: Uncommon Traveler: Mary Kingsley in Africa |
Don Brown, an emerging author/illustrator in the children's literature field,
was born on October 4th,1949 on Merrick Long Island, New York. He still lives on
Merrick Long Island with his wife, Deborah, his two daughters, Sheahan and Corey
and his "big white mutt named Woody". Deborah, his wife of 20 years, works
as a calligrapher and designer. Sheahan and Corey, the inspirations behind Brown's
books about heroic women, are now attending high school as a senior and freshman
respectively. "I was compelled to write children's non-fiction when my daughters
were young and I was unable to find interesting picture book biographies, especially
those of women" (Don Brown).
Don Brown attended St. Lawrence University
and received a Bachelor of Arts in history. This love for history and non-fiction
is very apparent in all of his books, not only in his writing, but also of his accurate
and authentic watercolor illustrations. "I try to impart my enthusiasm for history
and non-fiction in my books"(Don Brown). He uses primary sources as much as
he possibly can in order to maintain accuracy and prevent errors in his work. For
example when Brown was researching Mary Anning, due to the British Museum of Natural
History, he was able to read a letter written in Mary's hand. "Not only are
errors of fact undermining to the credibility of your work, but they are also an
insult to your subject" (Don Brown).
Don Brown's wish had been to become
a comic strip artist or an editorial cartoonist. While he has not become either of
these he has held a variety of jobs previous to his children's literature career.
These include: bartender, waiter, clam digger, washing machine mechanic, movie theater
manager for one day, animator, web producer, and a freelance illustrator for about
15 years before he wrote his first book.
The idea for Brown's first book
came to him while he was reading a magazine article about women flyers. According
to Brown the rest of the process went as follows. "I found a likely subject
for a book, researched her, wrote a manuscript and created a fully illustrated dummy.
A friend of a friend was a literary agent. Although she represented no children's
book authors, she pitched the idea to various publishers. Despite the rank ignorance
of the business--I was unaware that picture books were 36 pages and had make a 39
page dummy--my idea found a home with Ticknor and Field, a now departed division
of Houghton Mifflin. That idea about aviatrix Ruth Law became my first book."
Brown now has quite a few books out that remind us of the forgotten historical figures.
However, these version are not just another repeat of the same story. Brown shows
us that all of these figures were children with hopes and dreams at one time too.
When asked which of his books were his personal favorite he replied, "I can't
really say that I have a favorite book although some of my subjects appeal to me
more than others. Fossil hunter Mary Anning and African explorer Mary Kingsley had
tragic elements to their lives that make my heart ache. The story of monk and scribe
Columcille appeals to my brooding Irish roots. Researching Mack Sennet gave me the
excuse to watch videos of Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd and laugh
my head off."
Fun Facts About Brown
- His favorite
colors are earth tones.
- Shel Silverstein, Peter Sis, Ralph Steadman, Ronald
Searle, Jane Yolen, and Barbara Cooney are a few of Don Brown's favorite authors
and illustrators.
- In 1967 he canoed the Susquehanna river, and in 1970 he took
a motorcycle trip across Europe.
- Don Brown is currently working on a book about
young Albert Einstein, a book about the New York City newsboy strike of 1899, and
another young adult novel.
